


A Moment Free From Fear

by Angel_Bazethiel



Category: James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: (just two of them), Bond 25, Can I tag Bond 25?, Gen, I love Lea Seydoux but I don't like her character but I want her to be badass so welp, In celebration of Bond 25's start of shooting, Madeleine backstory, Original Character(s), Post-SPECTRE, slight Q backstory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-01
Updated: 2019-04-01
Packaged: 2019-12-30 11:15:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18314294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angel_Bazethiel/pseuds/Angel_Bazethiel
Summary: When Madeleine starts to act suspiciously, Bond investigates. He doesn't think he could take another Vesper.





	A Moment Free From Fear

**Author's Note:**

> So this happened because of the video of the [Bond 25 shooting ](https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/films/1106974/James-Bond-25-photos-filming-video-Norway-Daniel-Craig-007-villain). I've had this idea since June last year? And I wanted it to be a full-fledged novel, but then I lost interest and it rotted away in my lappy. Then news about the fifth movie got everywhere and I went back to this. Then I thought, _might as well try to write this scene out, maybe it'll turn to a novel someday?_ I wouldn't bet on it though. HAHA. So I'm publishing this as it is. Maybe it'll be expanded? Maybe not? But here you go! I hope you enjoy :>
> 
> Also, Helen = Madeleine. Please don't get confused.

_Helen feels cold._

_Her father asked her to hide upstairs in her bedroom when someone knocked at their door. He didn’t say anything else just that she shouldn’t let anyone besides him in and that she should not go out under any circumstances. She would have followed these instructions if not for what she heard: glasses breaking and her father wailing. She was worried so she crept silently down the stairs._

_She saw her father on the floor. There was so much blood. Two men looming over him as they kicked his sides._

_She felt her blood boil._

_She knows all about the hidden guns around the house. The closest one was under the kitchen sink. She saw red as she took the gun from there and pointed it at one of the men._

_She pulled the trigger once. Twice. Thrice._

_The man stood for a couple of seconds before dropping on the floor with a thud._

_The other man took notice of her then._

_Helen’s rage felt hot in her skin, but as the man faced her with his hideous white mask, she felt cold as dread swept all over her. Her hands shook. With the gun still drawn, she pulled the trigger again. With her shaky aim, she missed the first two but managed to land a shot on the man’s leg._

_The man doubled over and clutched his wound._

_She heard her father rasp out, “Run, Helen._ Run _!”_

_And she did._

_Helen feels cold._

_She is running through ankle-deep snow. The man from the house limps behind her._

_She runs as fast as she could, ignoring the biting wind on her face._

_She reaches the lake. Cracks start to form under her feet, but she doesn’t care. She runs. The man seems to stop at the bank, he might be contemplating whether the ice could hold his weight._

_And like an idiot, Helen looks back._

_That’s when she sees the man drawing his gun and shoots the ice beneath her._

_The ice cracks and she falls._

_Helen feels cold._

_It’s cold and dark and crushing. She’s drowning. Water starts to fill her lungs. She’s about to pass out when someone pulls her to the surface._

_It was the masked man._

_She struggles, but she’s too weak, too oxygen-deprived_ , too cold _._

_The man tightens her hold on her arms and says, “Did you and your father really think you could escape us?”_

 

 

“—leine! Madeleine!”

Helen wakes up covered in cold sweat. Strong hands are on both of her arms and she fights them again.

“Madeleine, it’s me. You’re having a bad dream.”

Right. Her name is Madeleine, now. It takes her a few moments to let her eyes settle on her surroundings and remember where she is.

She stops struggling and lays her head on the man holding her. She asks in a small voice, “James?”

James runs his hands up and down her arms to reassure her that this is real and she just had a nightmare. She’s safe. No one is out to get her.

“Do you want to talk about it?” James asks later when she’s already calmed down.

Helen – _Madeleine_ – shakes her head, “It’s nothing to worry about. Let’s just go back to sleep.”

It was something they should worry about though. She _is_ worried. She wouldn’t have these dreams otherwise.

 _It’s all in the past_ , she wants to tell herself. But the past always finds a way to come back.

She doesn’t fall back to sleep that night as her mind goes to the queen of hearts card on her wallet with the queen’s eyes scratched out and what it could only possibly mean.

 

 

\--

 

 

 

> `It’s a summons. I’ve contacted the others as well. We should talk about what our next steps should be. In five days, come to Paris. You know where. –A`

 

Bond is livid.

He expected that Madeleine is different, that she trusts him enough to ask him for help. She turned out to be another Vesper. Bond wasn’t meant to see the text, but she was starting to be suspicious. Their conversations became clipped. She began to lock herself in her study for hours. She just stopped communicating with him.

Bond was getting worried. And it seems like he was right to be.

Madeleine told him that she was going on a _business trip_ to Paris.

Bond didn’t believe her since he saw the text. And so he followed her.

Her _business trip_ brought them to an abandoned battered building on the worse side of the city.

Bond used to be one of the finest in Her Majesty’s Secret Service, so he manages to get inside the building without alerting Madeleine or anyone else that might be inside already.

He follows the voices and he ends up a floor above a room where he estimates four people are in. He tries to gain more vantage point on where he is, but while he doesn’t have a complete visual of the room he listens carefully.

He hears a man with a German accent say, “This is a _summons_. One we cannot ignore unless we want to get killed.”

A woman answers, “We promised each other and ourselves that we will never go back to that life. We shouldn’t back out to that promise just because they scare us.” Bond recognizes her voice. It’s Madeleine.

The man speaks again, “Easy for you to say, Helen. _I_ don’t have my own assassin lapdog. Or a whole _building_ of trained killers like Alex.”

 _Helen_ , he called Madeleine. Bond had expected this. In their world, names are just names. Bond had been called many names in the past when he was in various missions. Was _Helen_ Madeleine’s true name? If that’s so, was Bond just a _mission_ to her?

His line of thought is interrupted as another man speaks, replying to the man, “I offered you a safe house, Caesar. You’re the one who declined.”

The voice is familiar. And there’s only one person who James knows to have that lilt and condescending exasperated tone. He’s sure. He heard the same voice over the comms for over a year when he was still 007. He doesn’t believe it though, not until he sees _him_. He couldn’t possibly be a traitor.

If this little meeting proves to be a plot against England, _he_ couldn’t possibly be involved.

The German man, Caesar, replies, “Because they will inevitably find it. We cannot outrun them. We cannot hide from them. We tried five years ago and failed. They’ve found us. And they _will_ find us again if we tried to run.”

Madeleine speaks again, “Alex will make sure they won’t find us. He’ll make new identities and they’ll never see us again.”

“And what? End up always looking over our shoulders until they find us again in another five years? And I don’t want a new life. I am a highly-respected restaurateur of several three-Michelin-starred restaurants. I cannot just _leave_. I’m sure Alex agrees with me.”

“I _am_ rather fond of my job,” the familiar voice replied. He’s Alex then? Alex may be the ‘A’ in Madeleine’s text. He’s the one that called them all here.

“It’s your own damn fault they found us. The least you could do is to fix it,” Madeleine says angrily.

“What is she talking about?” Caesar asks.

If Bond was having a hard time that _he_ may be Alex, Madeleine’s next words confirm it, “Alex here was helping an MI6 agent in finding SPECTRE. So much for never getting involved.”

There is now without a doubt that  _Q_ is here and _he is Alex_. He’s the one who called this meeting, but why? To escape SPECTRE, for sure, but at what cost? Was Q willing to sell his Queen and Country?

Q – _Alex_ replies bitterly, “As I recall, you were also quite helpful towards the said agent.”

“I was helping _you_. I followed _your_ lead. I thought you knew what was at stake.” Madeleine’s voice becomes higher with every syllable.

“Yes, of course. And eloping with Bond was just a plus.”

“I wouldn’t even have met him if it weren’t for you.”

“ _I_ didn’t send him to bloody Mexico or to you for that matter. If you really wanted to be left alone then you shouldn’t have stayed in – oh, I don’t know _– the same bloody country as your father_.”

Before Madeleine could have her rebuttal, Caesar puts the argument to a stop, “Enough! _Both_ of you acted foolishly. You two got your turn, so now we follow _my_ _plan_ and answer the summons.”

Madeleine scoffs, “If that is the best you can come with, then you’re more stupid than both of us combined.”

Caesar speaks as if he’s talking to a child, “It’s the only way. That way you could testify that I’m innocent, it’s the least you _both_ can do. Maria and I won’t take the fall with you.”

Maria must be the other person in the room.

Madeleine’s answer is shrill, “We’re not a part of them anymore, remember? We shouldn’t have to explain ourselves, much less plead before them.”

And Q also pitches in, “And you’re as guilty as we are, Caesar. You left, turned your back on them. You’re as much as a traitor like the rest of us.”

Caesar speaks so lowly that Bond needed to strain his ears to hear it, “We could always go back. We’re valuable. They won’t kill us if we’re not a threat but an asset.”

“I’m sorry. I think I misheard you just now. Did you suggest that we go back to working for the very thing we tried so much to run away from?” Q’s disbelieving reply rings around the room.

It takes a few moments, but Caesar replies, “We’re the best Horsemen they ever had. They’d be fools to deny us back.”

“I was wrong, you’re not stupid,” Madeleine starts, “ _You’re insane_.”

“If they wanted us dead, we would be lying in a ditch somewhere. We are given a second chance. And they want us to make the most of that chance by serving them. What else is the reason for the summons?”

Q then says, “I think you’ve forgotten, Caesar, that I work for MI6.”

“I’m not saying you _have_ to be loyal to SPECTRE. You could use this opportunity to be MI6’s inside man. Beware though that you’re on your own if you get caught. But right now, we have to appear with a united front. They want all four of us. So what say you?”

Q stays silent as opposed to Madeleine who says, “Oh for fuck’s sakes, Alex isn’t going to fall for that. Even if he did, you cannot guarantee that they will only punish _him_ so _I_ am not agreeing. Good luck finding another War.”

Bond hears footsteps starting to get out of the room as Caesar exclaims, “Don’t you dare turn your back on us, Helen.”

At this point, Bond had managed to have a full view of the room. There’s a small table in the middle with four chairs. Only Q and Caesar are sitting though. Maria, the other person that was silent throughout the exchange has her back turned away from the other three. She was looking out the window like she doesn’t care what happens.

Madeleine is almost out of the room when Q speaks again, “Wait. I may have an idea.”

“Again with your ideas, Alex!” Madeleine throws her hands up, “You’re really not the brilliant mastermind that you think yourself as.”

Q quirks an eyebrow, “That may be true, but I think Caesar’s plan just might work. We could do an apocalypse on SPECTRE. _We_ could take down SPECTRE for good. _No more running_.”

Caesar starts to protest, “No that’s not what I had in mind,” but was ignored as Madeleine turned towards them again.

“What are you proposing?” She asks.

“First we have to let them think that we’re on their side. I, as all of you know, hold an important position in MI6. They trust me. It’s perfect for The False Prophet. It’s perfect for Pestilence. Helen managed to get their best soldier away from the ranks, disheartening the others. This is perfect for War.”

Q looks at Caesar, “You own multiple restaurants. Bled the small businesses dry, created havoc in the economy. This could be perfect for Famine.” Then he looks at the woman by the window, “And I know all about your Brexit operation.”

For the first time, Maria speaks with a deep voice and Italian accent, “I don’t particularly like sharing the credit for that.”

“But they would know that it was _you_ who kills all Britain’s connections. They would know that Death brought England to its knees.”

Maria just replies with a noncommittal hum.

And Q continues, “Max Denbigh promised them nine countries and failed. But we will bring them England as revenge and _succeed_.”

“And once we’ve done that, we’ll be welcomed back to their good graces. Then we could tear SPECTRE apart from the inside,” Madeleine finishes.

“All of you are mad,” Caesar says.

“Then you’re the maddest of us all, Caesar,” Q chuckles. “Isn’t this what you want?”

“I didn’t want to go against SPECTRE! This is suicide!”

“Please. As you said, we’re the best Horsemen. We will succeed.”

Caesar was about to voice out again his objections, but Maria cuts him off, “This should be fun. Taking down the world’s biggest crime organization. I’m in.”

“As am I,” Madeleine says, “I’m tired of running away. It’s time for War.”

Caesar gapes at the three of them until he sighs in defeat, “Alright. I _am_ a great enough Famine to just make this work.”

“And you, Bond?” Q then says unexpectedly, “Are you in?”

He looks up at where Bond is hiding, “Really, James. Did you think that I don’t have any security measures around the place? I knew you were here the moment you set foot on the block. I let you in.”

 _Because I trust you_ , Bond didn’t need to hear him say it to know that. The question is: does Bond trust Q and Madeleine enough? After all, all of this could be just a show for Bond.

But that’s just ridiculous. Q couldn’t do that to him, can he? Not after the show of faith during the spectacle before Bond retired. Bond could trust Q.

So with one swift move, he jumps down to the room where the four are.

“Alright. So how do we do this?”

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> There. Okay, some notes.  
> -About the Four Horsemen and their names and the cards?  
> \---I have this backstory in my head that the Four Horsemen are just children born into SPECTRE that has a certain MO very much alike the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. So their operations are more commonly known as "Apocalypses."  
> \---They're called as they are because it makes sense I promise.  
> \---Also dyk there are [nicknames for every card in a 52 deck](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_playing-card_nicknames#Single_cards)?  
> \---Pestilence/Conquest = King of Clubs= Alexander the Great = bc he conquered most of Europe so quickly  
> \---War = Queen of Hearts = Helen of Troy = bc she manages to start a war (well, not really but yeah) single-handedly  
> \---Famine = King of Diamonds = Julius Caesar = bc at the peak of democracy, he wanted to become "emperor," depriving the people of choice  
> \---Death = Queen of Spades = Black Maria = apparently it's what you call a coroner's van?
> 
> -In my head, Daniel Brühl is Caesar. While for Maria, I haven't chosen anyone :/  
> -I know this is a bit all over the place. But oh well.  
> -This has so much potential but I'm too lazy. HAHA Though I _do_ have some shit outlined. But then eryejuk46jywt\weknlrngrtn ugh.


End file.
